Cristiano Ronaldo shortlisted for UEFA award

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been named on the three-man shortlist for the UEFA Best Player in Europe award.

The 30-year-old is joined by Barcelona pair Leo Messi and Luis Suarez with the winner set to be announced on August 27 at the draw for the group stage of the Champions League.

Ronaldo, the holder of the Ballon d’Or, enjoyed a spectacular season on a personal level last time out. When many have already ran out of superlatives to describe him and his goalscoring feats, the Portugal international hit 61 goals for his club in all competitions – his best season to date.

He missed out on major honours with his team though, as both Messi and Suarez were key members of the Barcelona team that won the treble – Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey.

UEFA also revealed the top 10 players on the list, which included five members of the Juventus side that was beaten in the Champions League final – Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Carlos Tevez and Paul Pogba. The other two on the list were Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Barcelona’s other striker Neymar.

Ronaldo and Messi have previously won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award, along with Andres Iniesta and Franck Ribery. This year’s winner will be decided by a vote carried out journalists from the 54 member associations of UEFA.